Think beyond framing.
Digital files of your Dreamscape photo collage can be uploaded to vendors who make terrific photo gifts. Your original artwork can be transferred to fabric (as photo purses or photo blankets); cardstock (as greeting cards or thank you notes), or plastic (as 3-D photo sculptures).
Over the years I have grown especially fond of these photo gift vendors:
Photo gifts for the home by The Photo Gift Shoppe
Photo blankets by Custom Creations Unlimited
Photo-purses, iPhone cases and more by Zazzle
Greeting cards by SendOutCards
Photo sculptures by Photocutouts.com
Fashionable & Practical Photo Gifts by The Photo Gift Shoppe
Imagine taking your custom digital photo collage to the next level: a keepsake box or a serving tray or lazy susan for the kitchen … maybe a T-shirt or golf towel for a goody bag. What I love about The Photo Gift Shoppe is their superb workmanship. Images on their fabric does not crack, peel or fade as a result of ordinary wear and washing. Their sublimation inks maintain the feel or texture of their fabric items, and the process they use on tile (like in the Lazy Susan above) keeps colors saturated, and brilliantly vibrant.
Best yet, their gift offerings come at every price point. The Photo Gift Shoppe will supersize your images for no additional cost. Instead of a small 8-1/2″ x 11″ print on a T-shirt you can upgrade to a large 11″ x 17″ print for the same price, or get a full-color wrap around image on a coffee mug. Since there are two costs involved: one for the digital photo collage (paid to Art For Your Sake) and one for the photo gift (paid to The Photo Gift Shoppe), here’s what you do:
- Shop first. Place an order on The Photo Gift Shoppe website. This provides me with the template size for the artwork, and also your order number.
- Next, go to my Order Now! page to purchase your digital photo collage. After your digital photo collage is finalized, upload the image file of your artwork to The Photo Gift Shoppe, along with your order number.
Snuggly Fleece Photo Blankets by Custom Creations Unlimited
How cool would it be to snuggle under a fleece blanket featuring your digital photo collage? Jim King over at Custom Creations Unlimited makes fleece blankets where the image detail of the artwork is almost as sharp as the original image. And the fluffiness comes in a single or double layer. Mmmmmmm! There’s something else I really respect about Custom Creations. To ensure the highest image quality, a real live person always reviews your order and contacts me if they notice so much as a single scratch on the digital file. Since there are two costs involved: one for the digital photo collage (paid to Art For Your Sake) and one for the photo blanket (paid to Custom Creations), here’s what you do:
- Shop first. Place an order on Custom Creations Unlimited. This provides me with the template size for your artwork, and also your order number.
- Next, go to my Order Now! page to purchase your digital photo collage. After your digital photo collage is finalized, upload the image file of your artwork to Custom Creations, along with your order number.
Wearable Art: Photo purses and more by Zazzle
What a great way to show off your digital photo collage — wearing a photo purse imprinted with your beautiful artwork. Zazzle does gorgeous work, too. Because your photo is embedded into the fibers of the material, the result is a high quality image which won’t fade, peel or rub off and will last for decades. They have a whole line of handmade accessories in leather and wedding satin that are complete head-turners (from messenger bags and iPhone cases, to ties and playing cards). Since there are two costs involved: one for the digital photo collage (paid to Art For Your Sake) and one for the bag itself (paid to Zazzle), here’s what you do:
- Shop first. Place an order on Zazzle. This gives me a template size for your artwork, and also provides me with an order number.
- Next, go to my Order Now! page to purchase your digital photo collage. After your digital photo collage is finalized, upload the image file of your artwork to Bagettes, along with your order number.
Thank You Notes and Greeting Cards by Send Out Cards
Imagine – as a token of thanks or as a sympathy note – sending a highly personal piece of artwork composed from your photos. What a generous way to acknowledge simple human kindness. And in terms of holiday cards, Dreamscape cards definitely knock those studio portrait cards right off the mantle piece!
I’ve learned that between our personal and business lives, we probably need to send out about 70 cards per year, but mail out a fraction of that! To the rescue comes SendOutCards.com: pulling in mailing lists and sending you reminders for anniversaries and birthdays at a fraction of the cost (between $.62-.93 plus postage, compared to those $2.50-3.00 cards). Not to mention, you save money by using custom artwork or your own photography.
Since there are two costs involved: one for the digital photo collage (paid to Art For Your Sake) and one for the greeting card (paid to Send Out Cards), here’s what you do:
- First, go to my Order Now! page to purchase your digital photo collage.
- Next, open an account on Send Out Cards, and give them your sponsor ID# 53716. Place your order. When your digital photo collage is finalized, upload the image file of your artwork to Send Out Cards. My old friend Jan Shaw will be happy to walk you through the process. Contact her at 412-298-1287 EST or janshaw@verizon.net.
3-D Photo Sculptures by Photocutouts
Hang them. Or stand them. My good friend Al Stewart at Photocutouts takes the image file of your digital photo collage and turns it into an elegant, 3-D photosculpture. Al prints it on a dye-sublimation printer, a technique that not only produces the highest image quality, but also protects the print with a heat-applied clear coat, making it water-resistant and protecting it from UV light damage. They’re dramatic little sculptures, mounted on 3/16″ thick acrylic. Since there are two costs involved: one for the digital photo collage (paid to Art For Your Sake) and one for the greeting card (paid to Photocutouts), here’s what you do:
- Shop first. Place an order for a photo cutout or POPout (where the subjects are “popped” out from the background) on Photocutouts.com. This gives me a template size for your artwork, and also provides me with an order number.
- Next, go to my Order Now! page to purchase your digital photo collage. After your digital photo collage is finalized, upload the image file of your artwork to Photocutouts.com, along with your order number.